As we all know, the success of Southern Miss basketball was unprecedented and certainly unexpected.
The Golden Eagles maintained their incredible season Saturday after defeating Louisiana-Monroe 76-67 to stay a perfect 14-0 at home as well as 23-4 overall and 11-2 in Sun Belt play.
Before the season, I was asked how I thought the upcoming season would go. My response, which I’ve said on a few radio shows, was that I often compared Southern Miss’ preseason to the movie Major League.
If you remember from Major League, there’s a part in the movie when they pan to the fans looking at the roster. One fan blurts out, “Who the eff are these guys?”
To recap, Southern Miss brought in 10 new players in the offseason and obviously came off a 7-26 season, so it’s easy to see the parallel.
I made that same joke to a friend of mine, who responded, “Well, you know, that Cleveland Indians team made a run?” And boy was he right.
Like the movie, the stadium was close to empty, and as we later learned, if they didn’t start winning, the team would be sold by the greedy new owner. Like Southern Miss, the fans were nonexistent to start the year, and if Jay Ladner didn’t start winning, he would be looking for a new job.
Now the Golden Eagles are chasing a different type of glory as they have a chance to pull off the largest single-season turnaround in NCAA history. The biggest win-differential in college basketball is 20 wins. That feat was completed by Iowa State, who went from 2-22 to 22-13 just last year.
With four regular season games to go and what could be safe to say at least two postseason games, the Golden Eagles have a chance to break the record. As of now, Southern Miss’ 16-win differential ties 1956 Temple and 1971 Fordham.
USM is also chasing the program record of the most regular season wins in a season, 24 in the 2011-12 season, excluding the vacated years.
“It is like a movie,” said DeAndre Pinckney, who had 17 points in the win. “You go from winning seven games to 23 and two games away from breaking the record of most wins in a single season. It’s shocking and a great feeling.
“It all started with a vision and a dream, and everybody bought into it. It’s a great feeling coming in here knowing that your teammates, your brother wants to get better. They want to win. You have the same goals, and everyone is on the same page. It makes it easier for the coaches and fun for us. I enjoy coming to practice. Last year, I didn’t. (Now) I get up and am ready to go to practice because I know today is another day we compete and get better.”
It’s safe to say Jay Ladner has not only saved his job but revitalized the support, atmosphere and culture for the Southern Miss basketball program– as just two days ago, the Golden Eagles had their fifth largest crowd in its history. Although there are plenty of candidates, it should be said that Ladner should be a name mentioned for National Coach of the Year.
“I don’t think you can win one year and win a few ball games and establish that kind of legacy,” Southern Miss coach Jay Ladner said. “We want to look at this as a long-term. If we are just going to be happy to win 20 games, then that’s all we are ever going to do. Let’s make not winning 20 games the expectation. Let’s make that standard and change our thinking.”
Even for the players who have been solid in their careers, none of whom have experienced any real type of winning, especially of this caliber.
“There’s a genuine love of seeing each other succeed,” said Felipe Haase, who scored a team-leading 23 points. “That reflects on the court. We are happy for each other.
“We play for the fans. We play for that little history. We never talk about it. It’s cool to see. If you believe in the process and all that stuff and stay with the right people, then it just works.”
Southern Miss’ turnaround is something that’s rarely seen, as they have gone from the doormat underdog to a team that could easily walk away with a championship banner. It’s why we love sports, and it is movie-like.
It’s still to be seen whether or not the Golden Eagles can have that movie ending. Even if Southern Miss falls short, it has to be marveled on the recent accomplishments, but in the words of Indians catcher Jake Taylor, played by Tom Berenger:
“Well, I guess there’s only one thing left to do…win the whole (effing) thing.”
Follow @AndrewAbadie on Twitter for Southern Miss coverage.
